Joined the RAF direct from
Hampton Grammar School, Hampton, Middlesex on a university scholarship. He
attended Bristol University, where he gained a BSc in Aeronautical Engineering
(1st Class Honours). At Loughborough University, he gained a MSc in
Industrial Engineering and Management .

From 2000 onwards was variously
a Visiting Professor at Royal Military College of Science, Shrivenham, Military
Adviser to Marshall Aerospace Cambridge, Non Executive Director of Shorts
(Bombardier Aerospace) Northern Ireland, and The Clerk of the Worshipful Company
of Engineers.